Black and White 2: A New Beginning
by Sundust341
Summary: Set two years after the original Black and White game, Lisbeth (who you probably know as Rosa or Mei) sets out on her own Pokemon journey, accompanied by her new pokemon, Tepig. Will there be romance? *winks* Eventually. Rated T just in case.
1. Chapter 1

**An introduction: So, in my BW2 game, I've named my main character Lisbeth and her rival Idek. I decided to just keep their names for the story, to make it less confusing for myself (but probably more confusing for you). Lisbeth corresponds with Rosa/Mei and Idek corresponds with Hugh/Hyuu. I do not own Pokemon or any of the game content.**

**I do not own the image used for this story, though it is very well done and fits the story perfectly. (If you can't see it clearly, it's a picture of Lisbeth yelling at Idek).**

Lisbeth sighed loudly and flopped down on her bed. She watched dust motes dully float around her bedroom. The motes would occasionally float in front of her open window and illuminate in an orange glow from the sunset. She blew the motes close to her head and watched them thrash around in a burst of energy.

A short three note tune came from her laptop. Lisbeth went over to see who had emailed her and was disappointed to find just more spam. Of course nobody had emailed her. Nobody exciting ever emails her.

Lisbeth's stomach grumbled. She closed out her email, pushed back from her desk then trotted downstairs to find something to eat. It was when she had her hand hovering in front of the cabinet knob that Lisbeth remembered that there wasn't any food in the house. Her mother had just gone out to get some.

Instead of sentencing herself to another day of boredom, Lisbeth decided to go to lurk around the training school. It was only three more months until she would finally turn sixteen, the age at which they allow the youngsters of Unova region to begin their education as pokemon trainers. Lisbeth liked to peer through the fence of the schoolyard and watch the trainers-in-training learn to battle.

Though her plans were thwarted when she came face-to-face with her mother at the front door.

"Just the person I wanted to see!" Lisbeth's mother said cheerfully.

Her mother moved into the kitchen to put the groceries she had cradled in her arms onto the counter.

"Why? What happened?" Lisbeth asked. Maybe something exciting had finally happened.

"I just got a call from my old friend Juniper on my Xtransceiver! She said that her assistant is here in Aspertia to give you a great opportunity!"

"Juniper? As in _Professor _Juniper? What kind of opportunity?" Lisbeth asked excitedly.

"It's a surprise. She said that her assistant will be waiting for you at the overlook for you."

"Now?"

"Yes! Go, go!" Lisbeth's mother encouraged.

That was all Lisbeth needed to hear. She dashed out the front door and down the street in the direction of the overlook. When she turned the corner at the end of her street she smacked right into something solid and painfully smashed her nose against it.

She stumbled backward, rubbing her nose. "Hey, watch it! I'm in a hurry!"

"You watch it!" They replied indignantly.

Lisbeth recognized that voice. She peered past the hand she was using to rub her nose and saw Idek, her lifelong rival. Beside him was his little sister, Willa.

Idek was tall and built with lean muscles. He had feathery, raven-colored hair that stuck out on all angles and glinted in an almost blue color when it hit the light. His eyes were a reddish-brown that shone mischievously.

Not that Lisbeth noticed any of these things. (Or so she told herself).

She and Idek have been in competition since they met each other in Aspertia City's basic school years ago. It didn't matter if it was a test or a footrace through the hills surrounding Aspertia, they were always in competition.

"Why are you in such a hurry, Wheezing-breath?" Idek teased.

"Mommy said not to call names, Idek!" Willa whined.

"Be quiet, pipsqueak! I'm having a grown-up conversation." Idek snapped.

Willa stuck her tongue out at him and turned away from him in protest.

Idek turned back to Lisbeth. "Where were we? Oh yes, why are you in such a hurry, huh?"

"I don't have _time_ for this, Idek!" Lisbeth snapped.

She pushed past him and ran off to meet Professor Juniper's assistant.

...

Lisbeth finally reached the top step of the overlook and bent over to catch her breath.

"Lisbeth, wait!" She heard from behind her.

She turned around to see Idek running up the steps to the overlook.

"What do you want Idek?" Lisbeth huffed, still trying to catch her breath.

Idek reached the top step, not even breaking a sweat. Lisbeth was going to have to get in shape if she wanted to become a pokemon trainer.

"I wanted to see where you were going. I thought that maybe you were going out to Route 19." He put his hand on the back of his neck, like he wasn't sure about what he was saying. "And I wanted to say I was sorry for being a jerk back there."

Surprise flashed across Lisbeth's face. An apology was the last thing Lisbeth expected when Idek came running up the overlook steps.

"What are you trying to pull, Idek?" Lisbeth demanded.

"I'm not-" Idek began, but was interrupted.

"Um...excuse me? Do you by any chance know a girl named Lisbeth?" A nervous voice asked.

Lisbeth turned to see a girl, several years older than herself, standing a behind them. The girl had feathery blond hair tucked into a large green hat that was in the exact shade of green as her pants. A messenger bag was strapped across her bright orange coat. Luminous green eyes peered at her over half-moon glasses.

"That's me, actually." Lisbeth said. "Are you Professor Juniper's assistant?"

"Yep! I'm Bianca! It's great to meet you. You are just like what I've heard!" Bianca said cheerfully. "So I have something to give you, from Professor Juniper, if you choose to accept it."

"What is it?" Lisbeth asked excitedly.

"Well, as you may or may not know, the Professor and I study pokemon from far and wide. And to do that we need someone to collect as much data on those pokemon as possible. So when trainers go out on a journey they record data in their-"

"-pokedex!" Lisbeth finished. "Are you saying that you want to give _me_ a pokedex?"

Bianca laughed "You obviously already know a lot about trainer gear. Yes, that is what the Professor would like to give you; with the condition that you show her all the data you collect with it. So do you accept the challenge?"

"Of course I do! But...I don't have any pokemon. I don't know how I'd be able to complete this pokedex if I don't have a pokemon to protect me on my journey." Lisbeth said with disappointment.

"Silly me! I almost forgot!" Bianca began rifling around in her bag. "That was part of the deal. Professor Juniper has also provided three pokemon for you to choose a partner from. She said to choose wisely, because a pokemon is not just a partner, but a friend as well."

Lisbeth almost couldn't contain her delight. She was finally getting a pokemon of her very own, after years of her parents making her wait until she was responsible enough.

"I can't even _believe _it." Lisbeth laughed in disbelief.

Bianca finally pulled out a small glass container that held three pokeballs. She slid open the glass and held the container out to Lisbeth.

Bianca pointed to the first ball. "This one is Snivy, a grass-type pokemon."

She pointed to the pokeball in the middle. "This is Tepig, a fire-type pokemon."

She pointed to the last. "And this is Oshawott, a water-type pokemon."

"I've never heard of those pokemon." Lisbeth said.

"That's because they're rare pokemon. Not many have heard of them."

"_How will I ever _choose?_" _Lisbeth whispered under her breath.

Bianca gave her an encouraging smile. "You'll make the right decision."

Lisbeth's hands were trembling. She lifted a hand let it hover over the first pokeball, the one containing Snivy. She kept it there for a moment, not feeling any special connection. The second ball was different. The instant her hand hovered over the pokeball, she felt warmth spread up her hand and through her body. That's when she knew that this was the pokemon for her; Tepig. In that instant, the other two were forgotten.

"This one." Lisbeth said confidently.

She picked up the pokeball and held it like it was made of glass. It was still sending pulses of warmth through her body.

"Tepig then. A good choice." Bianca smiled.

The pokeball flared warmly in response.

"I think so." Lisbeth whispered.

"Well, I believe that I have accomplished what I have come here to do! Good luck on your journey, Lisbeth! Take good care of Tepig."

Bianca was about to leave the overlook when Idek stopped her. "Wait." He said.

She turned to look at him. "Yes?"

"I can help. I can help collect data too." Idek said.

Bianca gave him a quizzical look. "You mean that you want a pokedex too?"

"Yes." Idek said.

Idek could be very persuasive when he wanted to be. Lisbeth has long since developed a resistance to his convincing ways, though. Bianca, on the other hand, had only just met Idek.

"I don't know..." She seemed torn.

"Really. I would be a great help to the Professor." Idek insisted.

Bianca sized him up for a moment. "...I suppose." She said finally. "You seem like a good person with a good heart. I guess that means that you'll be needing a pokemon as well."

Idek grinned. "Absolutely."

Lisbeth could not believe her ears. This was the most exciting thing that had ever happened to her, and Idek was going to be given the same things that she was. She was suddenly furious.

As Bianca fished out the glass container, oblivious to the other two teenagers, Idek glanced back at Lisbeth and flashed her a mischievous grin. Lisbeth did what she thought was the most appropriate to the situation, and flipped him the bird. He pretended to be offended and turned away from her.

"Here you go," Bianca presented Idek with the glass container, "choose wisely."

Like Lisbeth, Idek let his hand hover over the two remaining pokeballs before finally choosing the one on the left, Oshawott. Lisbeth rolled her eyes. Of course he would choose the pokemon that had type advantage over her pokemon.

"I guess that will be all. Good luck Lisbeth, and um, Lisbeth's friend." Bianca gave them both a warm smile before descending down the overlook steps.

When she was gone, Idek turned toward Lisbeth.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Idek grinned.

When she realized what he meant, Lisbeth's anger washed away and was replaced with a fiery determination. She grinned wickedly. "Let's battle."


	2. Chapter 2

"Finish it off with tackle!"

Tepig fainted. "No! Tepig!" Lisbeth cried, running to Tepig's side.

Idek grinned. "Nice job, Oshawott. Return."

It had been a long battle, each side fighting hard. In the end, Oshawott's type advantage over Tepig was why Lisbeth lost the battle.

Idek walked over to Lisbeth and Tepig. He crouched down next to her.

"Here. Take this." Idek said.

Lisbeth looked down at his hand. He held a small, yellow capsule. It was a revive. Suddenly she was furious.

"I don't want your damn revive!" Lisbeth burst out, "You think that just because you defeated me that I can't fend for myself? Leave me alone."

"I was just trying to-"

Lisbeth shoved him away. "Leave me alone!"

Idek held up his hands in defense. "Fine. I'm going."

He sauntered away from her and her fallen pokemon. He paused at the top of the steps and turned back to look at her. "If you're going to be a pokemon trainer, you're going to have to learn to deal with defeat." Then he descended the overlook steps.

Lisbeth took a deep breath. It stung what he said, and although she would never admit it, he was right. She would have to learn to deal with defeat if she was going to become a pokemon trainer.

She stood up and pulled her pokeball out of her coat pocket. "Tepig, return. You fought a hard battle."

Lisbeth looked at the pokeball. This was her first battle, and she blew it. She would make it up to Tepig. Next time they would beat Idek.

"Here you go! All happy and healthy! We hope to see you again!" Nurse Joy handed Lisbeth back her pokeball. It was warm to the touch.

Lisbeth pocketed the pokeball and exited the pokemon center. She began to walk home. Her mother would be wondering what was taking her so long; Lisbeth had been gone for over an hour.

When Lisbeth got home, she found her mother sitting on the front porch, reading a book. She looked up as Lisbeth approached.

"So how'd it go?" Her mother asked.

Lisbeth smiled although she was still disappointed. She pulled the pokeball out of her coat pocket and held it out to her mom. "She gave me a pokemon."

"Oh, Lis! I'm so happy for you!" Her mom laughed. "You're going to make a great trainer!"

Lisbeth's smile fell. "That's the thing, Mom. I don't know if I will. Idek and I battled and...I lost."

Her mom stood up and grasped Lisbeth's shoulders. "Lisbeth, look at me. You are going to be a _wonderful _trainer. Your father was the gym leader of this city. It's in your blood. What's one battle, anyway? It was only your first. I know that you'll beat Idek, because you are a natural. From the time you were a feisty little toddler, I knew that you'd become a trainer. One better than your father, even. You can do this, sweetheart. I believe in you."

Lisbeth hugged her mother tightly. "Thanks, Mom."

"Lisbeth!" Someone called from down the street.

Lisbeth pulled back from her to see who it was. It was Bianca running up the street toward her house. When she reached Lisbeth, she was out of breath.

"Here. I forgot to give you this." She huffed.

In her hand was a shiny, red pokedex. Lisbeth took it.

"Oh, Bianca. Thank you so much for doing this for my daughter. It means so much to me." Lisbeth's mom said. "Would like to come inside for a drink?"

Still out of breath, Bianca said, "No, thank you. I have to be on my way. I have to catch the ferry for Castelia before it leaves from Virbank."

Bianca turned to head back down the street. She waved. "Goodbye, Lisbeth, and Lisbeth's mother!"

...

That night Lisbeth began packing for her journey. In her messenger back she packed two spare outfits, including socks, bras and underwear, a bathing suit, a pop-out sleeping bag, her Xtransceiver, the money she had collected from working at the bicycle shop over the summer, toiletries, and the brand-new item bag her mother bought her.

The plan was to set out for Floccesy Town in the morning, hopefully making it to Virbank before nightfall.

She was finishing packing her bag when a three note tune came from her laptop. (The tune reminded her to pack the laptop). It was an email from Idek.

The message read: 'Lisbeth- I'm leaving for Virbank tomorrow. The next time we meet, we'll have a rematch. -Idek'

Lisbeth tried to make herself mad about the email, mad at Idek, but she knew that she wasn't anymore. She was just confused about the mixed messages he was sending her, and was trying to put him out of her mind. He wasn't making it easy for her, though, sending her this email. She no longer knew what to feel about him. She wished that she could go back to how it was before, when they were rivals.

Lisbeth threw herself on her bed and buried her face in her pillow. Maybe the best way to save herself from a complicated life was to stay home.

A sudden flare of heat seared against her leg. Lisbeth yelped and scrambled backwards, but then remembered that the source of the heat was strapped against her leg. It was her pokeball. The heat was gone when she unstrapped it, and only the normal warmth was lingered.

Then she realized that Tepig was trying to tell her that she shouldn't stay home. That's why he heated up the pokeball.

Lisbeth knew she couldn't let Tepig down, or herself, for that matter. They would leave tomorrow morning.

**You were expecting Lisbeth to win that battle, weren't you? Guess again! But, don't worry, there will be a time for redemption.**


	3. Chapter 3

Lisbeth was showered and dressed to leave by six a.m. Her mother stood on the porch to see her off. She grasped Lisbeth in a tight hug.

"I love you. Don't forget to call." Her mother planted a kiss on her cheek and gave her a sad smile.

"I love you, Momma." Lisbeth gave her mom's hand a final squeeze and turned down the street she grew up on. She didn't look back.

Lisbeth walked north toward the gate to Route 19. It was a relatively short walk, because Aspertia was just barely a city.

The gatehouse was all but empty; no travelers were awake and about yet. This was the first time Lisbeth had been in the gatehouse by herself. All the other times, her mother was with her.

"Excuse me miss! Right this way, please!" A perky voice called out to her.

It was the gatekeeper, a middle-aged woman. Lisbeth walked over to her desk.

"Hello dearie. Are you heading off to Route 19 by yourself?" She asked.

"Yes." Lisbeth replied.

"Are you aware that you are required to be accompanied by either a pokemon or an adult if you wish to pass the gatehouse?" The woman peered over her glasses at Lisbeth.

"Yes, I have a pokemon with me. Tepig." Lisbeth took her pokeball out of her pocket.

When the gatekeeper saw her take the pokeball out of her pocket she said, "Oh my! Dear, you should never keep pokeballs in your pockets! They could fall out and get lost! You need to have a holster to strap them in."

Lisbeth flushed with embarrassment. "Oh, um...I didn't know. Sorry."

"Oh, don't you worry dear! I have one for you right here!" The gatekeeper ducked beneath her desk and began to rifle around. A moment later she popped up with a something similar to a belt in her hand. She handed it to Lisbeth.

"Here you go, dearie! Now may I see your pokemon to verify that that pokeball you have there is occupied?" The woman said cheerfully.

Lisbeth threw her pokeball. "Go, Tepig!"

Tepig appeared several feet away from Lisbeth. Lisbeth bent down to greet it.

"Uh, hi, Tepig. We haven't been properly introduced. I'm Lisbeth. I hope that we can be more than partners, that we can be friends." Lisbeth said nervously.

"Tepig! Tepig!" Tepig cried enthusiastically.

Lisbeth was surprised when he came cover and rubbed his nose against her leg. Lisbeth scratched his head in response, grinning at his affection.

"Tepig certainly trusts you already! You two will be wonderful friends!" The gatekeeper said. "Have you considered making Tepig your partner pokemon?"

Lisbeth stood back up. "What's that?"

"A partner pokemon is a pokemon that stays out of a pokeball and travels with the trainer on foot, but there has to be a lot of love and trust between the partner pokemon and trainer."

"Huh. I never knew about partner pokemon. I didn't get the chance to go to trainer school and learn this sort of thing." Lisbeth crouched back down next to Tepig. "Tepig, would you like to be my partner pokemon?"

"Tepig! Tepig!" Cried excitedly.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say that was a yes!" The gatekeeper. "Well, since you have a trustworthy pokemon with you, you can be on your way. Good luck, dearie!"

"Thank you so much!" Lisbeth waved as she left the gatehouse.

Tepig trotted next to her and seemed to be glowing with happiness. Maybe he actually was, seeing as he's a fire type.

They were finally on their journey. Lisbeth paused and glanced back at the overlook that was looming above the gatehouse. She gave it a mental goodbye and began down the path to Floccesy Town. It was about a four-mile journey to Floccesy Town from Aspertia. They would get there in about two hours.

It wasn't long before the path ran through tall grass, the kind that pokemon like to live it. Tepig didn't hesitate before tramping right into the grass. Lisbeth followed his lead.

They went for a long time before there was suddenly a rustling sound to her left. Lisbeth froze. The grass parted and a Lillipup came into view.

"Aww, a Lillipup! Come here, Lillipup." Lisbeth cooed.

That was a mistake. The Lillipup began to growl and approach. Lisbeth tripped backwards is surprise when it lunged for her.

There was the sound of impact, but Lisbeth was untouched. She looked up and saw the wild Lillipup sprawled in the grass, unconscious. Tepig had used tackle and protected her.

"Thank you, Tepig." Lisbeth said breathlessly.

Tepig looked at her in what appeared to be annoyance.

"I'm sorry Tepig. I know better now. Next time I'll get it right."

Apparently forgiven, Tepig nudged Lisbeth's leg. "Okay, okay, I'm coming."

...

About a mile later, Lisbeth and Tepig came to a small bridge that crossed a stream. They were crossing the bridge when a voice stopped them.

"Hey! Are you a trainer? You wanna battle?" It was a boy, younger than Lisbeth, who had been playing in the stream.

Lisbeth smiled at him. "Definitely." This time she'd be ready.

The boy pulled a pokeball out of his bag. "Go, Patrat!"

He launched the pokeball into the air and a red beam materialized a Patrat.

"Ready, Tepig?" Lisbeth asked her partner.

"Tepig!" Tepig cried confidently.

"Alright! Tepig use Tail Whip!"

_That should lower the Patrat's defense and then Tepig can use tackle to finish it off._ Lisbeth thought.

"Patrat use Tackle!" The boy yelled.

The Patrat lunged. "Dodge it, Tepig!"

But Tepig wasn't fast enough. Tepig took damage, but it was nothing the pokemon couldn't handle.

"Okay, Tepig now use Tackle!"

Tepig Tackled the Patrat right in its side. The Patrat was thrown backwards, but was still standing.

"Again, use Tackle!"

This time when the Patrat when down, it didn't get back up.

Lisbeth cried out with joy. "We did it Tepig! You did great!"

Tepig trotted over to her and rubbed its nose against her leg. Lisbeth scratched its head.

The boy put his pokemon back into its pokeball. "Good battle, Patrat. We'll do better next time."

He came over to Lisbeth. "You have a strong pokemon. I have fun battling with you."

"Thanks. I did too. I'm Lisbeth, by the way." She smiled.

"I'm Quentin. It was nice meeting you. I gotta go heal my Patrat, so I'll see you around." He said.

"Bye." Lisbeth said, continuing on her way.

Both she and Tepig were buzzing with happiness the rest of the way to Floccesy Town.


	4. Chapter 4

By the time they got to Floccesy Town, it was lunchtime. Right outside of town Lisbeth and Tepig stopped to eat. Lisbeth had a sandwich she had packed that morning, but that was the only food she had. She would have to buy more in town. For Tepig, she had a bag of apricots for him to eat. Usually it only takes two or three of them to fill up a pokemon's stomach.

While Lisbeth and Tepig were eating, a man appeared in the clearing where they were eating. He was a tall man with broad shoulders; he wore a large poncho-type garb and a string of pokeballs around his neck. And he had a middle-aged face that had a wizened look about it. But, the most striking thing about him was his bright orange hair.

He paused several feet in front of her. "Hello. My name is Alder. One of my goals is to tell people about how wonderful it is to walk toward the future together with pokemon. And you are?"

Lisbeth blinked in surprise. "I'm Lisbeth, from Aspertia City."

He inspected her and her pokemon. "That's a very fine Tepig you have there, but you're not exactly a seasoned trainer yet. Come with me, I'll give you some training."

"Uhm...uh, okay." Lisbeth said, slightly taken aback by Alder's directness.

Tepig followed behind them, not very happy about not being able to finish his apricots.

Alder led them into Floccesy Town, which was quite a small town indeed. It was only maybe twenty or thirty homes in a cluster, with a grocery store, pokemon center, training and basic schools. They were headed toward the training school.

Inside there was a small beginner class of sixteen year olds. Alder directed Lisbeth to a thin girl with pale hair.

"Battle." Alder instructed.

"Follow me out back to the battling area." The girl said.

Lisbeth followed, and they engaged in battle. The girl had a Purloin and a Lillipup. Tepig and Lisbeth celebrated their second victory.

Alder once again inspected Lisbeth and Tepig. "Yes, you both have much potential and good heart. You will be a great trainer. Perhaps we will meet again in the future."

"Uh, thanks." Lisbeth said.

"You may leave now, or if you wish, you can stay and continue to train with the students."

"Stay! I want to have a go at her!" Someone called.

"Me too!" Called another.

"Yeah, let's see if she can beat me!"

Lisbeth laughed. "I guess I'll be staying then."

For the rest of the day, she and Tepig trained with the trainers-in-training of the Floccesy Town training school. After many battles, some hard, others easy, nobody could beat Lisbeth, and Tepig had grown considerably stronger.

That night Lisbeth and Tepig slept in the pokemon center resting room for trainers who were traveling around and needed a place to sleep for the night.

"Good job today, Tepig. You did great." Lisbeth whispered to her pokemon as they were falling asleep.

"Tepig..." He cooed as he drifted off to sleep.

...

In the middle of the night Tepig urgently woke her up. He was nudging her and crying out, making quite the ruckus.

"Tepig! Tepig!" He cried.

Lisbeth sat up and looked around. Nothing seemed out of place. The trainer who was sleeping on a couch across the room was still asleep, oblivious to the commotion Tepig was making.

"It's alright, Tepig." Lisbeth soothed.

But Tepig was insistent. "Tepig!"

He nudged Lisbeth until she got up to look around the room and in the hallway. Nothing seemed out of place to her. She came back into the resting room and climbed back into her sleeping bag.

"It's okay, Tepig, nobody is there." She said, half asleep.

Tepig grumbled in frustration. "_Tepig..."_

Lisbeth drifted back to sleep, and Tepig kept watch until he couldn't stay awake any longer.


	5. Chapter 5

Lisbeth woke up to Alder standing above her.

"Holy crap!" She exclaimed and scrambled backwards.

"Tepig!" Tepig exclaimed as well.

"I have news for you, Lisbeth and Tepig," Alder said, down to the point, as usual, "Aspertia City has found a new gym leader!"

This made news Lisbeth both sad and excited. Her father, Branton, was the last gym leader of Aspertia City and he had died in an accident last summer. Lisbeth missed him terribly, but she was excited about challenging her first gym leader. She would make her father proud.

Then she realized that she came all this way for nothing.

Lisbeth groaned. "I'm going to have to walk all the way back to Aspertia?"

Alder considered this. "I will fly you to Aspertia on my Bravlary."

"You will? Thank you Alder."

"This means that you will miss out on training on Route 19."

Lisbeth looked at Tepig. "I think we're ready."

"Very well. Meet me in front of the trainer school in fifteen minutes." And then he left the resting room.

"He certainly is a character." Lisbeth mumbled.

Lisbeth changed in the bathroom while Tepig ate apricots for breakfast. She pulled on jean shorts and a black and white striped tee shirt. And of course, her black combat boots. She twisted her long, light-brown hair into a loose bun. And lastly, she strapped on her pokemon holster loosely around her hips. Right now, it only held Tepig's empty pokemon ball.

Lisbeth exited the bathroom. She noticed that the other trainer was gone. He must have woken up and left while she was changing.

Tepig came trotting over.

"Ready to go, Tepig?" Lisbeth asked.

"Tepig!" Tepig replied.

"Let's go."

...

Alder was waiting for her outside of the pokemon center, with an enormous bird pokemon waiting by his side.

"Hop on." Alder instructed.

The Bravlary bowed for her to climb on. Lisbeth scooped up Tepig and climbed on the bird pokemon without hesitation. Alder climbed on behind her. Then with pump of its huge wings, the Bravlary took flight.

Lisbeth laughed at the thrill of flying. She felt exhilarated as they flew higher and higher, Floccesy Town become smaller and smaller behind them. Route 19 turned into a green blur below as they gained speed with every beat of Bravlary's wings.

Tepig, on the other hand, was quivering in her arms. Lisbeth held him close.

"Be brave Tepig. I've got you." She soothed.

Tepig stopped quivering, but tucked his face into the crook of her arm.

A journey that had taken Lisbeth and Tepig hours, took only ten minutes on Bravlary's back.

Bravlary touched down in front of the gym. Lisbeth and Alder climbed off of its back.

"Here. Take these." Alder said.

In his outstretched hand were about ten oran berries. Lisbeth took them and put them in her bag.

"Thank you for everything, Alder." Lisbeth thanked.

Alder gave a hearty laugh. "Trainers have to stick together. Here's my Xtransceiver number. Call me when you've finished challenging the gym. Good luck."

He handed her a piece of paper with his number written down and then climbed back onto Bravlary's back. Lisbeth and Tepig stepped back as the giant bird began to beat its wings and lift into the air. Lisbeth watched the majestic bird fly away until she couldn't see it anymore.

She turned to face the gym. It was a modest building; her father wasn't one for show. The only thing that indicated it was a gym was the gym symbol hanging above the doorway. For the first time since her father died, Lisbeth climbed the steps and pushed open the doors.

The building was mostly empty, except for stacks of boxes that somebody, probably the new gym leader, hadn't unpacked yet. Branton had never spent much time in here; he was always out back where the real gym was.

She crossed the room to the backdoor. Before she opened it she crouched down to talk to Tepig.

"I know we're ready for this Tepig. You've gotten so much stronger, and I've become a much better trainer. I trust you, Tepig. We can beat them."

"Tepig!" Tepig fiercely agreed.

"Okay. Then let's do this." Lisbeth stood up and pushed the door open.

The harsh sunlight temporarily blinded, but when her eyes adjusted she saw three people turning toward her. There were three of them: two boys and a girl. They all looked around eighteen.

The boy in the middle approached her. He had shoulder length dark hair with an endearing fly-away strand that stood straight up. He had a pale complexion and his white collar shirt wasn't helping with that. His red tie was crooked and his socks did not match. He was handsome, but he had a very rushed look about him, like he hurried to get out the door that morning.

"You're the second trainer today. News certainly travels fast around here. I'm Cheren, Aspertia City's new gym leader." He stuck out his hand.

Lisbeth shook it. "Who was the other trainer?"

"A boy about your age. Red jacket, bluish spiky hair? He beat me with an Oshawott." Cheren said, flustered. "I'm still trying to get the hang of using all new pokemon. I'm sorry, what did you say your name was?"

"I didn't. I'm Lisbeth. Aspertia is my hometown, actually. And my father was the last gym leader."

Cheren looked surprised. "Branton was your father? I'm sorry about what happened."

"Do say you're sorry. Everyone says they're sorry."

"Oh, sorry. I mean I'm sorry for saying sorry!" Cheren was red with embarrassment.

Lisbeth laughed. "It's okay. So, down to business then?"

"Oh, yes! That's right. Uh, follow me to the battlefield. Carson will be the battle judge." Cheren indicated the boy.

"How many pokemon will you be battling with?" Carson asked Lisbeth.

"Just one, my Tepig." Lisbeth gestured toward Tepig.

"Tepig!" Agreed Tepig.

"Alright, take your places please." Carson said.

Lisbeth took her place in the trainer's area, Tepig at her side. Cheren did the same.

"Lisbeth of Aspertia City wishes to challenge Aspertia City gym leader, Cheren. Leader Cheren will be battling with Patrat and Lillipup. The challenger will be battling with Tepig. When you are ready, you may begin." Carson gave his battle judge spiel.

Cheren took out a pokeball. "Go, Patrat!"

"Alright, Tepig, let's go!"


	6. Chapter 6

"Lillipup is unable to battle. Lisbeth wins the battle!" Carson said.

"_Yes."_ Lisbeth whispered proudly.

Lisbeth could hear Cheren groan in frustration. He returned his fallen Lillipup to its pokeball and crossed the battlefield to her.

"Congratulations. I'm still trying to get hang of being a gym leader, but I shouldn't make excuses. You battled well. You earned this badge." Cheren looked over at the girl. "Tara, do you have the Basic Badge and Lisbeth's winnings?"

The girl, Tara, nodded and approached them. In one outstretched hand she had the shining Basic Badge, and the other she had a bundle of 1560 pokedollars. Lisbeth took her badge case out of her item bag and opened it up. She took the Basic Badge from Tara and placed it into its designated indent. Then she took the pokedollars and put them in her wallet.

"You remind me of my friend, Max. She was a headstrong trainer like you, Lisbeth." Cheren said vaguely, "I wish you luck on your journey."

They shook hands. Lisbeth thanked him and then she and Tepig left for the pokemon center.

The pokemon center was only about a block from the gym, which was good because Tepig was feeling weak after his victory. Lisbeth carried him so he wouldn't have to walk.

"You did great out there Tepig, I'm really proud of you." Lisbeth told her pokemon.

"Tepig..." Tepig said weakly, but Lisbeth could tell that he was proud of himself.

After Tepig had recovered at the pokemon center, Lisbeth and Tepig went to a cafe across the street to celebrate their victory. (Well, that, and Lisbeth hadn't eaten at all yet that day).

Lisbeth ordered two fluffy pastries, one for a pokemon and one for a human, and a warm french vanilla cappuccino. They sat out front at an umbrella table and enjoyed their snacks.

Tepig burped.

Lisbeth laughed. "You liked that pastry, Tepig?"

"Tepig!" Tepig said enthusiastically.

"Me too." She laughed.

Lisbeth pulled her Xtransceiver out from her bag. The time read 12:36.

"I should call Alder if we want to get to Virbank by nightfall." Lisbeth said to herself.

She dialed Alder's number and waited for him to pick up. There was a beep and Alder's face filled the screen.

"Have you defeated the Aspertia City gym?" Alder asked.

"Of course." She dug out her badge case and showed him the Basic Badge.

"Congratulations. I will be in Aspertia in fifteen minutes. Meet me in front of the pokemon center." The Xtransceiver disconnected.

"He certainly is down to the point, isn't he?" Lisbeth mumbled.

About fifteen minutes later Bravlary touched down in front of the pokemon center across the street. Lisbeth and Tepig ran to greet him.

"Tepig. Lisbeth. Hop on." Alder greeted them.

They did so and Bravlary took off. Route 19 quickly turned into a green blur beneath them. Tepig began to shake again and Lisbeth held him close, told him it was okay. Lisbeth, on the other hand, felt as exhilarated as she did the first flight.

Bravlary touched down in front of the Floccesy Town trainer's school. Alder and Lisbeth climbed off the giant bird pokemon's back.

"This is as far as I can take you. I wish you luck on your journey." Alder said.

"Thank you for everything, Alder. Maybe we'll meet again someday." Lisbeth said.

"Maybe. Goodbye, Lisbeth and Tepig." He said.

"Goodbye, Alder."

Lisbeth and Tepig had traveled through Floccesy Town and began their journey down Route 20 when they came across a fork in the road. To the left, a sign pointed toward "Floccesy Ranch" and to the right, a sign pointed toward "Virbank City."

Lisbeth thought she heard a dog pokemon barking in the distance, coming from the direction of Floccesy Ranch.

"We don't have time for a detour." She said before turning right toward Virbank.

It was a long journey to Virbank, and Lisbeth and Tepig had gotten some training in along the way. They had battled a Riolu, Psyduck, Lillipup, Dunsparce, two Sunkerns and even a few Audinos, and they had won every time. Lisbeth was proud of Tepig, who was growing stronger with every battle.

The sun was setting by the time they came to the Virbank City gatehouse. The gatekeeper checked Lisbeth's ID card and granted her access to Virbank.

Stepping into Virbank, Lisbeth was immediately overwhelmed by the smell of the sea. She closed her eyes and breathed it in. It had been years since she'd smelled the salty aroma of the ocean. As a child, her parents had taken her to Undella Town for a week or so to visit the beach; they owned a small beach house there. But, they had stopped coming because of her father's gym leader duties.

Tepig was sniffing the air too.

"That's the ocean, Tepig. Come on, I wanna get a look at it." Lisbeth said.

Lisbeth and Tepig turned down N. Dratini St, toward the Virbank pier. If they followed the pier long enough, it would lead them to the beach.

Virbank was a port city, bustling with life. Restaurants and music clubs lined the streets, as well as stores that held all sorts of good that were shipped in from the port. It may not have been the biggest city in Unova, but it definitely had the most class. Part of that may have been due to Pokestar Studios, which was just north of Virbank. Tourists flocked to Virbank to get a glimpse at the pokemon world's biggest movie stars. Lisbeth was feeling a bit starstruck herself.

Lisbeth turned the corner at the last house before the pier. She was stopped in her tracks at the sight of the the gigantic ships lining the pier. There were all types of ships from traditional to cruise to cargo. They were all so big and breath taking. Lisbeth had never seen anything like them.

"Wow . . ." She said breathlessly.

As she was walking down the pier, she heard yelling coming from one of the docks. Lisbeth paused to listen.

"-can't try and stop me! I'm going to live my dream," A man's voice said angrily.

"You're already a ship captain, isn't that enough?" A girl's voice yelled, "If that ship doesn't move, then nobody will be able to travel between Virbank and Castelia!"

"Oh, my dear Roxie. You split your time between the gym and your bank, right? Why can't I do the same?" The man said.

Lisbeth realized that the girl's voice must belong to the Virbank City gym leader, Roxie. The man, who must be her father appear at the end of the dock and continued up the pier. He was dressed in a ship captain's uniform.

The girl, Roxie, screamed in frustration, "You dim-witted dense _dumbass_!"

Lisbeth decided that this was probably the best time to keep walking, rather than be caught in the path of the gym leader's rage. They continued down the length of the pier, which must have been a mile long, until it ended and gave way to grass. Lisbeth was disappointed to find that the beach wasn't the kind of beach she'd imagined. Instead of soft, white sand was hard gray stones.

"I guess we won't be sleeping in the sand after all." Lisbeth mumbled.

They traveled further down the coast, so they would be a safe distance away from Virbank to make a fire for the night.

They found a cozy spot in the grass just beyond the rocky shoreline and settled in for the night. Lisbeth built up a fire and cooked a meal for herself with some of the food she had bought in Floccesy Town earlier that day. Tepig munched on a handful of apricots.

As the fire was going out, Lisbeth laid on her sleeping bag with her arms tucked behind her head and stared up at the stars. Tepig was nestled up against her side, already fast asleep. It was a beautiful night and the heavens were glowing with starlight.

As she was drifting off to sleep, Lisbeth found herself wondering if wherever Idek was then, was he looking up at the stars, too?


	7. Chapter 7

Lisbeth was awoken by the sound of something crashing through the trees beside where she was sleeping. Her eyes fluttered open and she saw that the morning sun was already beginning to light up the forest with an orange glow. She sat up just as a black shadow came tumbling out of the trees, a little bit beyond her campsite.

The shadow ran frantically toward her.

"Hey, what do you think you're -" Lisbeth called.

"Help me, please, come quickly!" The shadow cried frantically.

As it approached, Lisbeth saw that the shadow was a man. Lisbeth stood up.

"What's wrong?" She asked.

"My house, it's burning! My daughter, she's still inside! Please, trainer, I need your help!" The man was covered in soot and grime, burns covering his hands. White streaks ran down his cheeks where he was crying.

Lisbeth realized that the orange glow wasn't the sun, but the glow from the man's burning house.

"Lead me there." She said.

"This way!" The man took off into the forest, Lisbeth trailing behind.

They flew through the trees until the came to a clearing and there was a huge house, burning. The flames licked up higher than the trees, and parts of the house were beginning to crumble.

"Her bedroom is up the stairs, third on the right." The man said.

For one horrible moment, Lisbeth knew that going into that house meant possible death, but she pushed that thought out of her mind and ran into the blazing house.

"Tepig, stay!" She yelled over her shoulder.

The staircase was in the middle of the foyer and was beginning to crumble from the fire. As ran through the blazing house and up the staircase, she could feel the flames licking her ankles and a blistering pain shooting up her legs.

Running up the staircase, there was suddenly a splintering crack and Lisbeth's foot fell through the burning step. Then there came that sickening moment when Lisbeth felt something in her ankle break. She cried out and pulled her foot out of the broken step to see it covered in blood.

But she took a shaky breath and continued to limp as fast as she could up the stairs. Her hands were blistering now too.

The walls of the hallway were roaring with blazing flames. Lisbeth didn't hesitate before limping down the hallway to third door on the right. The door handle was glowing red with heat. She realized that she would have to kick the door open and that meant putting weight on her ankle.

She took a deep breath before kicking with her good ankle and balancing on her bad one. The door flew open and she bent over in a horrible splintering pain.

It took a moment to pull herself together, but Lisbeth stood and entered the little girl's room. The room was empty.

By now Lisbeth was having trouble breathing. The fire was sucking up the oxygen in the air and she was only breathing in dry, hot air. She was going to have to find this little girl quickly or she was going to run out of oxygen.

"Hello?" Lisbeth yelled. "Are you in here, honey?"

She did a quick search of the bedroom, losing hope quickly. The girl was nowhere to be found.

Lisbeth was going to leave the room when she heard a small thump. She turned back around, trying to hear the source over the roar of the fire.

There it was again. Lisbeth reentered the room and threw open the closet. There, huddled in the corner with a stuffed teddy bear, was a little girl.

Lisbeth opened her arms. "Honey, I'm going to take you to your daddy. Come on, let's get out of here."

The girl stared up at her with frightened brown eyes.

"It's okay. Let's go see your daddy." Lisbeth said again.

The girl crawled out of the closet and into Lisbeth's arms.

"That's a good girl."

Lisbeth scooped the girl into her arms and was relieved to find her light as a feather.

She limped as fast as possible down the hallway. Suddenly, there was a loud crack and a huge flaming beam fell down in front of them, right through the floor. A giant gaping hole was left where the beam fell.

Lisbeth stumbled backwards, but caught herself before she fell down.

"Honey, is there another staircase?" Lisbeth asked the girl.

She shook her head.

So it was going to be jump or die.

"Honey, I'm going to have to throw you across, okay? I'll jump as soon as you make it over." Lisbeth explained.

She didn't wait for the girl to respond before swinging her across the hole. The girl made it across and tumbled to the ground.

Lisbeth took a few steps backward. She took a shaky breath before launching herself across the gaping hole. She cried out as she landed on her injured foot. But she kept pushing through the pain, pushing through the pain of her ankle, her blistering feet and hands.

She scooped up the little girl again, who was too shocked to cry, and limped down the stairs.

Lisbeth's vision was beginning to fade and she couldn't breathe anymore. It was only a few more steps to the door, which had blown closed. She could feel herself beginning to collapse and sunk to her knees, just a few feet away from the door.

Before she slipped into unconsciousness she whispered to the little girl, "_Go."_

**That part certainly wasn't in the game. I though that the story needed a bit of excitement instead of traveling and battling all the time, so that's why I added the fire scene. Did you enjoy?**


	8. Chapter 8

As Lisbeth drifted in and out of consciousness she saw thought that she saw the face of Idek bent over her.

"_Idek."_

_..._

"_What I desire is a world for Pokémon, and Pokémon alone. I will separate Pokémon from people, so Pokémon can regain their original power."_ _A voice echoed._

_Lisbeth found herself in a huge throne room, facing a boy with long, ice green hair. Laying at her feet was an orb of pure black._

"_You came all this way to battle me… But Zekrom is not responding. You haven't yet been recognized as the hero, have you? How disappointing. I actually kind of liked you a little. Through our many battles, I got the feeling that you might be a Trainer who truly cares for Pokémon!" The boy said._

_Lisbeth felt an angry determination. She stared at the black orb willing it to do something, anything. She knew that his boy was wrong, she is a hero._

_Where were these emotions coming from? Were they even her own?_

_Suddenly, the ground began to shake. Stones began to fall from the ceiling. The black orb was vibrating with alarming force._

_The boy with green hair seemed to be surprised. ""Your Dark Stone__is… I mean, Zekrom is…" _

_A burning white light surged through the throne room, blinding Lisbeth and the boy. When the light faded, standing in front of Lisbeth was a huge black pokemon. Zekrom._

_The boy regained his composure."Ah… I see. Zekrom, who is said to lend its power to the hero who searches for ideals, has recognized your power and now agrees to stand by your side…"_

"_N! You still have a choice. You can stop this!" Lisbeth felt herself say, but it wasn't her voice, it was the voice of another girl._

"_This is the only choice for me, Max. You, on the other hand, have two options. Challenge me to a fight you can't win, or leave this place and watch the birth of a new world where Pokémon are free of people! Reshiram! Come to me!" The boy, N, called._

_The ground began to shake and a fearsome gust began to surge through the throne room. A terrible screeching cry of a pokemon echoed on the wind. Then suddenly the back wall of the throne room was smashed in and the form of a huge white pokemon became visible. It was Reshiram, Zekrom's counterpart._

_Zekrom cried in response._

"_I challenge you." The girl's voice came out of Lisbeth again, spoken with a fiery determination and anger._

"_So be it." N declared._

_..._

.Lisbeth's eyes fluttered open. Her eyes flitted around the room, it was like looking through a tunnel. Her eyes stopped on a figure slumped in a chair in the corner. I was Idek, fast asleep.

"Lis." Her eyes focused on the face of her mother.

Her mother was at a chair pulled up against her bed, looking down at her with a concerned look.

"Mom?" Lisbeth said in a weak voice.

"Oh _Lis. _You're alright." Relief washed over her mother's face.

Her mother soothingly stroked her hair.

"The girl? Tepig?" Lisbeth whispered.

"They're both safe. You were so brave Lisbeth and I'm proud of you, but it was stupid to run into a burning home without thinking. You scared me." Her mother said quietly, so she wouldn't wake up Idek.

"Sorry." Was all Lisbeth could manage at the moment.

Lisbeth could feel the drugs begin to pull her under again. As the room grew dark, Lisbeth found herself staring at Idek. He looked younger and peaceful while he slept. And she felt the alien feeling that maybe she wanted to fall asleep next to him.


	9. Chapter 9

When Lisbeth's awoke again, she didn't feel so tired as before. This time she could hold her eyes open without effort.

She blinked and looked around the room. This time it was empty. Lisbeth tried to lift her legs to get out of bed but found that they were pinned down by a small mass. She lifted her head to see what it was. There, curled at her feet, was Tepig, sound asleep.

"_Tepig."_ Lisbeth said hoarsely.

The little pokemon opened its eyes and looked up at her.

"Tepig! Tepig!" The pokemon cried happily.

He stood up and climbed up her bed to her face. He rubbed her cheek with his nose affectionately.

"I'm glad to see you, too, Tepig." Lisbeth smiled.

Lisbeth reached her hand up to scratch Tepig and was surprised to see that her hand was heavily bandaged in gauze. Her arms looked like giant Q-tips. She wiggled her toes and found that they seemed to be bandaged as well.

Lisbeth replayed in her mind what had happened. The man came to her campsite, asking for help, Lisbeth went with him to the burning house, she entered the house to save the girl, she got to the girl, and then everything was fuzzy after that. That must have been when she began to lose oxygen.

The door to her room opened. In stepped her mother.

"Oh, Lis you're awake again!" Her mother said happily, "How do you feel?"

"Achy. Where'd Idek go?" Lisbeth asked.

"He's moved on."

Lisbeth gasped, "He's _dead?"_

Her mother laughed. "No, honey, he's moved on to Castelia."

Lisbeth flushed. "Oh."

"He stayed here all night, barely left your side."

"Really? How did he know I was here?"

"He was the one who pulled you out of the house."

Shock registered on Lisbeth's face. "How did he find me?"

Her mom shrugged. "Coincidence I suppose. Sometimes things happens like that. He's cute. Do you like him?"

"No!" Lisbeth said quickly, turning bright red.

Her mother laughed. "Well, you two certainly have courage. You'll make great trainers."

The mention of training suddenly made Lisbeth feel panicky. Idek was going to beat her to the Pokemon League if she didn't get out of this hospital soon. He was _not _going to be the better trainer.

"Mom. How soon can I get out of here?" Lisbeth demanded.

Her mother pulled up a chair. "The doctors said that they need to give you a few days to recover before the hospital's pokemon can try to use any healing moves on you."

Lisbeth groaned. "How many days is a few?"

"Two or three. It may seem like ages, but you'll be out of here in no time." Her mother smiled, "I'll go get you some food from the cafeteria."

As soon as the door clicked shut, Lisbeth swung her shaky legs over the side of the bed.

"Tepig!" Tepig sounded concerned.

"Shh, Tepig. I've gotta get out of here, or Idek is going to beat me to the Pokemon League." Lisbeth explained.

She carefully lowered her Q-tip feet to the floor. As soon as she put weight on her injured ankle, she crumbled to the floor in pain. Her foot throbbed. For a moment, she sat there bracing herself to push through the pain of her ankle. And then she hoisted herself up, putting her weight on her good ankle, which was only stinging from her burns.

It felt like ages, but Lisbeth made it to the door and pulled it open. She peered into the hallway to check if the coast was clear. The only person in the hall was the nurse sitting at the nurses' station, but she was reading a magazine and listening to music. Lisbeth went down the other direction, Tepig warily following behind.

Lisbeth steadily made her way down the long hallway all the way to the elevators. She pressed the down button and waited for the elevator to arrive. By then her ankle was throbbing with pain; Lisbeth did her best to ignore it.

The elevator dinged and the doors slid open. Standing in the elevator were three doctors. Lisbeth swore under her breath.

They sized her up for a moment.

"And where do you think you're going?" One asked pleasantly.

"I don't believe you were given permission to leave your room, young lady." The other chastised.

"You should be in bed resting. You could hurt your ankle further with all this walking around business." Said the third.

"Here, we'll get you a wheelchair and bring you back to your room." Said the first, pulling a wheelchair out of a supply closet nearby.

"No, please, I have to go! I'm in the middle of a pokemon journey and I need to leave now!" Lisbeth pleaded.

"Tut tut. Recovery now, pokemon journey hoo-ha later." Said the second.

"Now sit." The first insisted.

Lisbeth mumbled something under her breath about doctors and a suggestion as to where they should shove their clipboards.

She gave in and sat in the wheelchair, crossing her Q-tip arms in defiance.

The second and third doctors left to go check on patients, leaving Lisbeth and the first doctor alone. Tepig trotted behind them as the doctor wheeled her down the hall.

"You certainly have proven you are strong, young lady. Maybe we can arrange to schedule a pokemon healing early." He said.

Lisbeth looked up at him. "Really? You'd do that?"

"I'll have to consult with the other doctors, but yes, I think so."

Lisbeth uncrossed her arms and began to relax. "Thank you."

They came to Lisbeth's room. The doctor wheeled her in and helped her back into her bed. Tepig hopped up next to her.

"You'll be staying put this time, young lady?" The doctor asked with raised eyebrows.

"I suppose." Lisbeth said.

"Good. Now rest and I'll be sure to consult with my colleagues about an early recovery for you." A with that he was gone.

Her mother came in a few minutes later with a tray of food.

"Anything happen while I was gone?" She asked.

"Not a thing." Lisbeth replied with a smile.


	10. Chapter 10

The next morning the doctor came in with a Chimecho in tow. Lisbeth's mom sat up with a surprised look on her face.

"I thought the healing wasn't supposed to be scheduled until tomorrow or the day after," Lisbeth's mother said.

"There was a change of plans." The doctor winked at Lisbeth, "Shall we get started?"

"What should I do?" Lisbeth asked.

"Just lay back and relax." He instructed.

Lisbeth settled into the bed.

"Okay, Chimecho, use Heal Bell!" The doctor said.

"Chime!" The Chimecho cried.

It floated over and hovered above Lisbeth. Its body began to shake and a beautiful chime began to sound out. It was pure, sweet sound. Light pulsated from Chimecho and surrounded Lisbeth. A warm sensation began to flow through Lisbeth and seemed to gather where her injuries were. She felt her aches and pains begin to fade away.

Then the light faded and the chime died away.

"How do you feel?" The doctor asked.

Lisbeth sat up and wiggled her fingers and toes beneath the gauze. The pain was totally gone.

"I feel great. Can we get this gauze off?" Lisbeth said rather impatiently.

"_Lisbeth. _Don't be rude." Her mother chastised.

The doctor laughed. "Oh, don't worry. If I was a teenager, I'd be itching to get those off, too."

He unwrapped Lisbeth's gauze and examined her hands and feet.

"Everything looks just fine, but there will be a scar on your ankle. Sometimes the tissue is too damaged for Chimecho or our other healing pokemon to fix, or sometimes it just doesn't heal right. But don't worry, it'll work just the same as it used to. I wish you luck on your journey, Lisbeth, and I'll be sure to keep an ear out for word of your adventure."

"Thank you, doctor." Lisbeth's mother said.

"Yeah, thanks." Lisbeth agreed.

"You're quite welcome. You are free to leave when you're ready." He gave them a nod of farewell and left to check on other patients.

Lisbeth's mother turned to her. "I'll go pick up Tepig from the pokemon day care downstairs while you get dressed. Then I'll walk you out."

...

Fifteen minutes later Lisbeth, her mother, and Tepig were standing in front of the hospital to say their goodbyes.

"No more dangerous stunts like daring fire rescues, alright? I love you, honey. Now you go catch up with that boy." Her mother said.

Lisbeth flushed. "I love you, too."

Her mother pulled her into a tight hug. Lisbeth felt a pang of sadness at leaving her mother again. She told herself that she would see her again and goodbyes were only temporary. Besides, they had already seen each other again much sooner than Lisbeth would have expected.

"And don't forget to call!" Her mother called after her.

"I won't!" Lisbeth called back.

She looked down at Tepig. "Ready to take on the gym leader, Tepig?"

"Tepig!" Tepig cried eagerly.


	11. Chapter 11

It ended up taking them the best part of an hour to find the gym. They actually walked past it several times. Lisbeth never would have guessed that a club pounding loud metal music would be a pokemon gym.

The club was packed with people dancing to the music. Their movements were fluid and passionate as they swayed around the dancefloor. Lights danced around the room wildly, flashing through the crowd of dancers and illuminating them in vibrant neon colors. The music flooded the room in heavy thumping beats. Lisbeth's head was already pounding from the noise.

She slipped over to the wall, away from the crowd, to try and spot the gym leader, Roxie. It was hopeless. The club was too dark and there were too many people.

"Are you looking for Roxie?" A voice asked.

Lisbeth turned around. The question had come from a teenaged guy sitting by himself in a plush booth along the wall. He didn't look much older than Lisbeth, maybe sixteen or seventeen. Lisbeth approached the booth.

"Yeah. Do you know where I can find her?" Lisbeth asked cautiously. She didn't like the idea of talking to a strange boy in a dark club.

"Her band is up next. You can sit and wait until she's done if you want," He said, gesturing toward the opposite side of his booth.

Lisbeth slid into the booth and Tepig hopped up next to her. She eyed the boy warily. Close up, she could see that he had floppy, pale blond hair that was swept to the side in an off-handed manner and his eyes were icy green that examined her with a curious sort of gleam. He was absently stirring a electric blue beverage, but didn't seem to be drinking it.

"How did you know I'm not just here to dance and drink?" Lisbeth asked him.

He laughed. It was the kind of laugh that affected all those who heard it and made them want to join in. Lisbeth's mouth twitched at the corners.

"The pokemon was a dead giveaway." He said, still laughing.

Lisbeth flushed. "Oh, oh yeah. Right."

"What pokemon is that? I've never seen one before." He asked.

"Oh, this is Tepig. He's a fire type." Lisbeth said. Tepig put his front legs up on the table to get a look at the boy.

"Tepig!" Tepig greeted.

"_Thank you Virbank City!"_ It sounded like the band on stage was finishing up.

Lisbeth watched them leave and Roxie's band take the stage. She had pure white hair, half of which was down and half of which was pulled up into a ponytail sprouting out of the top of her head. She was boosted on intimidating black platform boots and had on an oversized blue and purple shirt. In her hands was a killer looking electric guitar.

"_That's_ Roxie? Wow," Lisbeth said.

"She's pretty intimidating, huh?"

"Yeah," Lisbeth breathed.

Lisbeth leaned back against the wall and listened to Roxie sing. She could tell that Roxie poured all her emotions into her music. It was passionate and compelling, heavy with sound and soul. The entire crowd listened.

She and the boy sat in silence while the band played. It must have been an hour before Roxie's band finished and another took the stage.

"It was nice to meet-" Lisbeth looked over at the boy, but he was gone. "Oh. He's gone. Well, come on Tepig, let's go show Roxie how it's done."

"Tepig!" Tepig agreed.

She slid out of the booth and pushed her way through the crowd to the door where Roxie had exited.

The room was a maze of boxes, amps and electrical sound gear. Lisbeth could barely get the door open wide enough to slip through. She could hear the sound of laughter somewhere deeper into the maze and slid through the narrow passageway that the clutter made. When she rounded a corner she was in an open space with couches and chairs. Sitting on the furniture were Roxie and her band.

As she began to approach the band, Lisbeth tripped on a cymbal stand, knocking it to the ground with a loud crash. The band members turned to look at her. She quickly righted the stand.

Lisbeth flushed. "Whoops, sorry."

"Who are you?" A man, the drummer, asked.

He stood up and approached Lisbeth and stopped in front of her with his arms crossed. He had tattoos lacing his arms and he towered a good foot and a half above Lisbeth. As intimidating as he was, Lisbeth firmly stood her ground and glared up at him.

"Chill, Hank. She's here to challenge me, aren't you, Klutzy?" Roxie said."

"It's Lisbeth actually. And, yeah, I am." Lisbeth said.

"That's what I said, Klutzy. I'm not sure a clod like you could take and that wittle bitty pokemon of yours." Roxie sneered.

"Tepig," Tepig growled angrily.

"Oh yeah? Then battle me. Or are you too stuck up to take on a clod like me?" Lisbeth challenged.

Roxie's eyes flashed with anger. "You'll regret it."

"I think I can handle you."

The other band members oohed.

Roxie stood up and pushed Lisbeth to the side.

"Fine. Keep up, Klutzy."

Lisbeth followed Roxie through the maze of equipment and boxes until they reached door, different than the one Lisbeth had entered through. Spray painted in pink on the door was the symbol of a pokemon gym.

Inside was large open room that was more or less a pokemon gym. Like the door, the battlefield was marked in pink spray paint. They must of ran out of pink at some point, because one portion was sprayed in electric blue.

"Hank's the battle judge, battle until the other pokemon in unable to continue, blah blah blah, you know the rest. Let's battle," Roxie quipped.

"You're on. Let's go Tepig!"


	12. Chapter 12

"Whirlipede is unable to continue! Lisbeth wins battle!" Hank declared.

"God damn," Roxie said in wonder, "You beat me, Klutzy. I can't even effing believe it."

She pulled out her pokeball and called her fallen Whirlipede back. Tepig ran to Lisbeth, who embraced him and scratched his behind his ears. He was banged up, but in much better condition than he was after his last gym battle.

"You were amazing, Tepig. I'm so proud of you," Lisbeth praised.

Roxie approached them. "You got spunk, Klutzy, I'll give you that. And you treat that pokemon good, too."

"Thanks," Lisbeth said warily.

"Here's your Toxic Badge. You earned it. Not many trainers can beat me."

Roxie, almost reluctantly, handed Lisbeth a shining new badge.

"You better keep training, Klutzy, because the next time we meet, you're not gonna win again."

"We'll see about that, Roxie."

As Lisbeth was leaving, Roxie called to her, "Hey, kid! And good luck."

"Here, Tepig, do you want an apricorn?" Lisbeth asked her pokemon.

They were down at the docks, surrounded by magnificent ships. Lisbeth was laying down on the warm boards and dangling her toes in the water. She was trying to figure out what to do next after she discovered the only ship running to Castelia City wasn't running.

Tepig was curled up at her side soaking up the sun and munching happily on a red apricorn.

Lisbeth must have drifted off to sleep because she woke to the sound of a boat horn startling her awake. Forgetting where she was sleeping, Lisbeth sat up much fast and before she could stop herself, she tumbled into the water.

Her panic rose quickly as she sunk further and further away from the dock. She kicked her legs frantically, but couldn't get herself to rise. The sun grew dimmer, the further she sank, and when her feet hit the sandy bottom, it was nothing but a tiny speck of light far up on the surfaces of the water.

Her lungs were burning and black spots appeared in front of her eyes. Lisbeth gave a final weak attempt at kicking to the surface before her body gave out and sunk down onto the sandy bottom of the ocean. She could no longer hold her breath and took a desperately opened her mouth for air. Instead, seawater flooded her lungs.

Everything turned surreal after that. Her body grew light and airy and her vision faded in and out of focus. The spot on her vision grew bigger and bigger until all she could see is black. She could feel herself being lifted up.

_This is it, _she thought.

The her eyes flew open. She wasn't being lifted to heaven, she realized, something was lifting her to the surface! She could feel something solid beneath her pushing up. The dock was getting closer and closer.

When Lisbeth broke the surface, she latched onto the dock rolled onto it. She began to convulse and water streamed out of her mouth. She gagged until there was nothing left in her. Then she collapsed onto the dock with her chest heaving.

Tepig climbed onto her stomach with his face hovering above hers.

"Tepig! Tepig!" Tepig cried worriedly.

"I'm okay, Tepig. I'm okay," Lisbeth breathed.

Lisbeth heard footsteps running toward her. She turned around to see a woman running toward her.

"Hey! Are you okay?" She ran over and crouched next to Lisbeth, "I saw you fall in and as soon as I docked I ran over to see if you were okay."

Lisbeth pulled herself into a sitting position. "Yeah, I'm okay. Something pushed me out of the water."

The woman furrowed her eyebrows. "Was it a pokemon?"

"I'm not sure. Maybe. I didn't get a good look at it."

"Well I'm glad you're okay," the woman said.

She stuck out her hand and helped Lisbeth to her seat.

"Thanks," Lisbeth said.

"So what are you doing down at the docks?"

"Well, I was trying to find a ship to take me to Castelia, but none of them are running there. So, Tepig and I were sitting here trying to figure out what to do," Lisbeth said, gesturing to Tepig.

The woman crossed her arms and tilted her head to the side, like she was considering something. Then her eyes brightened and she snapped her fingers.

"I know! Tomorrow night, I'm sailing up the Icirrus River for a delivery. I could take a detour to Castelia to drop you off!" The said.

"Really? You would do that?" Lisbeth said excitedly.

"Sure thing! Come on, I'll show you my baby."

Lisbeth was unsure of what the woman meant by her "baby", but she followed her regardless. They walked a few minutes down the pier and turned onto a dock labeled with a "27". They stopped in front of an old-looking boat of modest size. It was painted in baby blue and in cursive script the name "Stargazer" was painted on the side.

The woman opened her arms wide, like she was going to hug the boat.

"This is my baby, the Stargazer. She's an old gal, but she's sturdy," The woman said with a proud smile.

She climbed up the Stargazer's ramp, gesturing to Lisbeth to follow.

"She's got two bottom levels. The one right below us is the cabin level, that's where you'll be sleeping. Below that is where we store the products we ship for people. And, as you can see, we have to deck levels, the main deck, which you're standing on, and the top deck, the one up those stairs over there. In that door right there is where you'll find the stairs to the lower levels, and the control room, where we steer the ship from," She explained, "Come with me and I'll introduce you to the staff."

The entered the door she said led to the lower levels, and traveled down the stairs all the way to the storage level. All around them were boxes upon boxes of shipments the Stargazer was delivering. Two men and a boy were down there organizing the boxes.

"Hey, boys, I got someone I want ya to meet!" The woman called to them as she and Lisbeth climbed down the stairs.

The three turned to look at them. The men both had blonde hair, square jaws and dark brown eyes. In fact, they were probably twins. The only difference between them were the one had long curly hair that came to about his shoulders and the other had his hair cut short. The boy, who was maybe twelve or thirteen, had dark blue eyes and curly blonde hair, like the two men. In fact, he was probably one of their son.

The woman turned to Lisbeth, "You know, I never did catch your name, did I?"

"I'm Lisbeth. From Aspertia," Lisbeth introduced herself.

"And I also suppose I never introduced myself. I'm a bit forgetful like that. I'm Lindy, short for Rosalind. Terrible name, in my opinion. I've always gone by Lindy. Well, boys, this is Lisbeth from Aspertia, and she's joining us on the boat for a day or two!"

The three approached her, but the boy hung back a bit.

"Nice ta meet you, Lisbeth, I'm Ezra," The brother with the long curly hair said, shaking her hand, "You the one who fell into the water?"

Lisbeth blushed, "Yeah, that was me. I tend to do stupid things like that."

Ezra laughed heartily. "Then you'll get along great here! We tend to end up doing stupid things around here."

"I think that's just you and Lem, Ezra." Lindy said.

Lem, who Lisbeth figured was the other man, and Ezra laughed.

"Oh, I don't know about that, Lin. Remember the time I told you to order a shipment of bottled water and you ordered a shipment of champagne instead?"

"I remember that you and Ezra had a mighty-fine time drinking it afterward, is what I remember."

Again, the men laughed heartily.

"I supposed I should introduce myself now. I'm Lem, Lindy's husband, and Felix's father -"

"Hey," Felix said, with a short wave and a shy smile. Lisbeth smiled in return, making him blush.

"- and you probably guessed that Ezra and I are brothers, twins in fact," Lem introduced, also shaking Lisbeth's hand.

Lisbeth like all of them instantly. They were so easy-going and they made Lisbeth laugh with the way they teased each other and joked around.

Ezra walked past them and started up the stair.

"Come on, everyone. It's getting to be about dinner time, and I want to show off my cooking skills to Lisbeth," He said.

Lisbeth laughed, "I could really use some dinner about now. You wouldn't happen to have any pokemon food on board would you? I'm kind of running low."

"Of course! Follow me to the kitchen," said Ezra.

**LISBETH! Do you try to get yourself killed? This is the second time you almost died in three days! Control yourself!**


	13. Chapter 13

Lisbeth and Ezra climbed up the stairs while Lem, Lindy and Felix stayed on the storage level to organize boxes for delivery. The kitchen and eating area was on the cabin level, at the end of the hall.

In the kitchen, Lisbeth sat down on a stool in front of the counter. She picked up Tepig and sat him in her lap. When Ezra placed a bowl of poke food in front of Tepig, he happily tucked in. Lisbeth chatted with Ezra and told him all about her journey while he cooked dinner.

She had never seen somebody cook so skillfully. Ezra's hands moved like a blur, whipping ingredients out of all places and mixing and cooking them in a way that mesmerized Lisbeth. Even better were the delicious smells that made her stomach rumble. Lisbeth could only image how good the food tasted.

When it was finished, the rest of the family came to join in on the meal. Lindy sat on Lisbeth's left, Felix on her right. She, Lindy, Ezra and Lem all talked and laughed together, but Felix never joined in. The rest of the family tried to bring him into the conversation, but every time he slipped out of talking.

The food was as delicious as it looked and smelled. The first part of the meal was a sandwich, stuffed with leafy greens and sautéed vegetables and bundled between warm homemade bread. The second part of the meal was a potato soup. The broth was thick and seasoned with fresh herbs and warmed Lisbeth from the inside out. It was the best meal she had ever eaten, and she told Ezra so.

"I can tell. You were humming," Ezra laughed.

Lisbeth blushed, "Yeah, apparently I do that when the food is really good."

"I'll take that as the highest of compliments."

"You should, because this really was the best meal I've ever eaten."

"I'm willing to cook for you anytime, sweet cheeks," Ezra said with a wink.

"Good, because I can eat like a Snorlax," Lisbeth said.

The sky was beginning to get an orange tint when they set sail after dinner. Lindy explained to Lisbeth that she and Lem took turns sailing the ship, so they both get resting time. Lindy was taking first shift and then Lem would sail at night.

This was Lisbeth's first time taking a boat across the water. When she traveled with her parents to Undella Bay they took a plane. It was a bit unnerving when Virbank City disappeared from view and all was left was blue ocean stretching as far as the eye could see.

Lindy laughed, "Don't you worry, everyone's first time at sea is unnerving."

"I remember my first time out. Puked for at least twelve hours straight. It wasn't a pretty sight," Ezra said.

"I hope that isn't me," said Lisbeth.

"Nah, you would've been upchucking by now if it was," said Ezra.

The three of them laughed.

They sat together on the lower deck in lawn chairs, talking for hours. Lisbeth watched the most breathtaking sunset she had ever seen with them, and then saw the stars come out and light up the sky, glowing two times brighter than they ever had back home. It was like everything was in its purest form out at sea. She told them so.

"Isn't it, kiddo? These stars are what convinced Lem to sail with me," said Lindy.

"You mean he didn't want to?" Lisbeth asked.

Lindy nodded, "At first he didn't want to spend his life on this boat, even though he loved me, but then one night we laid up there on the top deck and watched the stars. That's what convinced him. He said, 'This can't be so bad if I have you and the stars with me'. He was such a hopeless romantic. And so he stayed and fell in love with the boat and the sea. And me, of course." Lindy winked at her.

Lisbeth sighed. She wondered when she would have her own love story.

It wasn't much longer after that that Lindy and Ezra went to bed. Lisbeth decided to stay on deck for a bit longer.

She folded up her lawn chair and she and Tepig climbed up the stairs onto the second deck. There, she unfolded her chair and sat back to look at the stars. Tepig climbed into her lap and fell asleep almost instantly. He must have been tuckered out from the battle earlier that day.

Lisbeth tipped her head back and looked up. Back home in Aspertia, the sky was always dark, with only a few stars distinguishable here and there. But here, out at sea, the sky was bursting with bursting stars. And amazingly, the sky wasn't black, but a rich, dark purple. The stars were glittering grains of sugar dappled across the sky, and Lisbeth wanted nothing more than to look at their sweet essence.

After listening to Lindy's story about how she and Lem fell in love looking at these very stars, Lisbeth's heart ached. She wanted her own love story.

She found herself thinking about Idek, Idek who saved her life. Why did he save her when he clearly hated her? And she thought she hated him . . . So then why was he acting different? And why did she feel so different?

Lisbeth sighed. She was confused, but she didn't want that to ruin her night. She fell asleep amongst the stars.


	14. Chapter 14

"Hey kiddo! Ya want some breakfast?"

Lisbeth sat up and rubbed her eyes to the sound of Ezra's voice.

"Yeah! Be right down!" She called back.

She stretched her sore muscles. She didn't regret sleeping in a lawn chair, but it certainly wasn't the most comfortable place to sleep.

Tepig, who slept on her lap last night, was jostled awake when she began to move around.

"Good morning, Tepig. Ready for breakfast?" Lisbeth asked.

"Tepig!" Tepig said.

Lisbeth smiled and scratched her pokemon on the head. She looked around the top deck. It must have been around seven in the morning, because the sky was tinged with purple and orange as the sun began to rise.

Before heading down to the kitchen, she and Tepig stopped in the control room to say good morning to Lindy, who was taking her shift sailing the Stargazer. Then they headed down to the kitchen. Lisbeth's stomach grumbled from the delicious smells whafting from the kitchen.

Ezra, Lem and Felix were all tucking into golden stacks of strawberry and banana pancakes. Lisbeth didn't hesitate to join them.

She hummed shamelessly.

"You like it, I can tell," Ezra said.

"Mm-hm!" Lisbeth agreed with her mouth full.

Lem and Ezra laughed. Felix cracked a smile.

"So, Lisbeth. You're a pokemon trainer, correct?" Lem asked.

Lisbeth nodded.

"Well, then how would you like to take us on?"

Lisbeth swallowed her food. "Who's 'us'?"

"Felix and I both have pokemon. You could battle us both, one after the other. Felix was saying how he'd like to battle you."

Felix flushed a dark red.

"What do you say, Tepig? Can we take them?" Lisbeth asked.

"Tepig!" He said, like it was a ridiculous question. Of course they could, did she even need to ask?

"Sounds like a yes," Lisbeth said.

"Alright. After breakfast, then," Lem said

"Ooh, I cannot wait to see this!" Ezra said with a mischievous grin.

When the four of them had finished breakfast they went up to the main deck. It was decided that Lem and Lisbeth would battle first. Ezra and Felix went up to the top deck and leaned over the railing to watch.

"Are you ready?" Lem called.

Lisbeth nodded. "We are. Let's go, Tepig."

Tepig moved forward, into a battling position.

Lem drew a pokeball out of his pocket. "Go, Pelipper!"

A flash, and then Pelipper appeared, hovering above the ship. Lisbeth swore under her breath. Tepig was weak against Pelipper, who was a water type pokemon.

"Alright, Tepig! Tackle!"

Tepig took off running, his body a blur, and then pushed off the deck and launched himself into the air at Pelipper.

"Pelipper, dodge it!"

Pelipper swooped out of the way, even faster than Tepig and avoided his attack. Tepig tumbled to the deck, but climbed to his feet with little damage.

Lisbeth now knew that there was no way that Tepig would be able to hit Pelipper in the air. She would have to wait until Pelipper attacked.

"Okay, Pelipper, use Wing Attack!"

Pelipper swooped in at an alarming speed, its wings splayed and ready to attack.

"Quick, Tepig, dodge it!"

But Tepig wasn't fast enough and took a considerable amount of damage as Pelipper's wings sliced across Tepig's body.

"Come on, Tepig, we can do it!" Lisbeth encouraged.

Tepig climbed to his feet. There was a new blaze in his eyes as he focused on Pelipper. Lisbeth grew alarmed when she saw that there was a red glow coming from Tepig's chest. It grew brighter and brighter until Tepig pulled back and a fury of fire flew out of his mouth.

"Teeee-_pig!"_ He cried.

It was Ember.

The storm of fiery bullets slammed into Pelipper, throwing its body back and its balance off. And the bullets just kept coming. Fire rained down on Pelipper until its body was no longer visible in the storm. Lisbeth could feel the heat lick across her skin. Then Tepig let go, out of fuel.

Pelipper fell out of the sky. Lem ran to catch his pokemon him his arms.

"Pelipper is unable to battle, Lisbeth and Tepig win!" Ezra called from the top deck.

Lisbeth ran and scooped Tepig into her arms, giving him a big hug. He was a bit winded from his new attack, but otherwise healthy.

"Tepig, I'm so proud of you! You learned Ember!" Lisbeth cooed to her pokemon.

"Tepig!" He huffed.

Lem approached them, his Pelipper back in its pokeball.

"That was quite amazing, Lisbeth. You beat my Pelipper, even though you had a type disadvantage. And was that Ember? Because I have never seen an Ember that powerful before," Lem said in wonder.

"I think so. I was as amazed as you were. Tepig surprises me every day," Lisbeth replied.

"Well, nice job, Tepig. You have a great trainer," Lem said to Tepig, "I had fun battling with you."  
"Tepig!" Tepig agreed happily.

"Here, Lisbeth, give this to Tepig!" Ezra called from the top deck.

Lisbeth ran over to catch what he dropped down. It was an Oran berry. She fed it to Tepig, who seemed to enjoy it very much. Lisbeth could visibly see him recover from their battle with Lem after eating the berry.

"Tepig, are you feeling up to another battle?" Lisbeth asked.

"Tepig!" He said eagerly.

"Okay, Felix, are you ready to battle?" Lisbeth called.

Felix nodded with a light blush.

Lisbeth studied him as he climbed down the stairs. He was the spitting image of his father and uncle, untamed curly blonde hair, but like his mother, he had deep blue eyes. He was still in puberty and uncomfortable with his body and very aware of his movements. He was cute, Lisbeth decided. He still had the rounded features of a boy, but in a few years he would have the sharp lines of a man, the square jaw of his father and uncle. And he would be handsome.

Felix moved past her and took him place across from her on the other side of the deck. In his hand he had a pokeball.

Lisbeth put Tepig back down and Tepig ran into position.

Felix palmed his pokeball nervously before throwing into the air and yelling, "Go, Mienfoo!"

A flash, and then Mienfoo appeared on the deck.

"Okay, Tepig, let's go!"


	15. Chapter 15

**4/7 I'm really, really sorry that I haven't posted anything in like, forever. I apologize, guys! Once summer rolls around, I'll be cranking out chapters. Anyway, suggestive content in this chapter *wiggles eyebrows***

Felix didn't stand a chance. He had hardly any experience and his pokemon wasn't strong enough to take on Tepig. He didn't last longer than five minutes. When his Mienfoo collapsed, Felix scooped his pokemon into his arms and disappeared below deck, avoiding eye contact with Lisbeth.

Ezra and Lem climbed down from the top deck.

"I'm sorry, Lisbeth. Felix normally so outgoing. I'm not sure what's gotten into him," Lem said, shaking his head.

"I know exactly what's gotten into him. That boys got a crush on Lisbeth," Ezra said with a wink.

Lisbeth blushed and laughed. She had known, of course.

Lisbeth left the two brothers and Tepig on deck to go take a shower. It had been a few days since she'd bathed and she was feeling a bit disgusting.

Under the hot running water of the shower, Lisbeth examined her hands and feet, where her burns had been only a few days before. The only evidence from the fire was the jagged white scar that ran up the side of her ankle.

She stood there in the shower for a long time, reveling in the luxury of the hot water. It felt good wash off the past few days.

Lisbeth was rinsing shampoo out of her hair when she heard what could only be the knob on the bathroom door turning. She froze, and was about to call out that the bathroom was occupied when Felix pushed open the door.

He froze when he saw her, naked behind the glass shower walls. Immediately, there was a prominent bulge in his pants.

Lisbeth let out surprised noise and tried to cover herself with her hands.

"Get out! Felix, get out!" She screeched.

Felix, who was frozen in place from shock, unfroze and scrambled out the bathroom door, slamming it shut behind him.

Lisbeth stood in the shower, soap still in her hair and the water still running, shaking with embarrassment and anger.

Felix, a boy of only twelve, _saw_ her _naked._

Shame flushed her face. She had taken his innocence.

She squeeze her eyes together. _No._ This wasn't her fault. She was positive she locked the door.

_Then how the _hell_ did he get into the bathroom? _She thought.

She climbed out of the shower, naked and dripping wet, and walked over to the door. She jimmied the handle and tested the lock. It was broken. She swore loudly.

Lisbeth ran her fingers through her wet hair. Her mind was racing a mile a minute. She shook her head, scolding herself. _Get your wits together._

There was nothing she could do but move on.

She dressed herself in shorts and a cotton tee and pulled her long brown hair into a messy bun.

Her hands were still shaking a bit when she went back up to the top deck. Pelipper and Tepig were playing and running around on the deck while Ezra watched them, laughing.

"Where's Lem?" Lisbeth asked.

"Look who's back and fresh as a daisy!" Ezra said with a wink, "He's switching with Lindy. There she is now."

Lindy came up behind Lisbeth, a smile on her face.

"Hey there Lisbeth, long time no see. Good god, it's hotter than hell up here. Makes me wish I was back in the control room where it's nice and cool."

Ezra walked over with a gleam in his eyes. "Hot enough for a swim?"

"Are you trying to say that I should stop this boat, arrive late for our delivery and risk losing money just so you can take a swim?" Lindy asked her brother-in-law.

"Absolutely. It's perfect weather, blue as far as the eye can see. And you said yourself, it's hot as hell up here. Why not take advantage of this situation, eh Lin?"

Lindy gave him a hard look.

"Fine," She said finally, "But only because we're less than an hour away from Castelia and I don't want to be rid of Lisbeth just yet." She gave Lisbeth a wink.

Lindy went off to tell Lem to stop the boat and Lisbeth and Ezra went to put on bathing suits.

...

The water was great.

Lem, Ezra, Lindy and Lisbeth (minus Felix who was probably too embarrassed to come out) all enjoyed the warm ocean water. They must have spent an hour swimming.

Lisbeth was still feeling weary about experience with drowning before boarding the Stargazer and stayed close to the platform off the back of the boat.

"We should probably get going, Lisbeth's got to get to Castelia," Lem said.

"Oh, Lisbeth! Why don't you stay with us and become our adopted daughter?" Lindy embraced Lisbeth in the water. She was only joking, but she had a sad glint in her eyes.

"I would if I could, Lindy. You know I had so much fun here, but the Pokemon League is calling me," Lisbeth said.

"Well, then we better get you there," Ezra said, "Come on, Lindy, stop strangling the poor girl and lets get this boat on the road."

Ezra hoisted himself onto the platform and followed Lem up the ladder back onto the boat. Lindy gave Lisbeth one more quick hug and followed them up the ladder.

Lisbeth lifted herself out of the water and dried herself off with a towel. She stood and looked out at the ocean for a moment. She no longer felt unnerved by it's vastness. She smiled to herself.

She had her foot on the bottom rung of the ladder when there was a splash from behind her. She whipped around and caught a glimpse of the shadow of something disappearing under the water. An icy chill ran down her spine. She quickly climbed back onto the Stargazer.

...

"Look! There it is!" Said Lindy.

Lisbeth leaped out of her lawn chair and raced up to the top deck to get her first glimpse of Castelia City. Lisbeth gasped.

It was magnificent. Towering buildings lined the piers, taller than Lisbeth had ever seen. And there it was! The Unova Headquarters building, the tallest building in all of Unova. It towered above all other skyscrapers of Castelia. Lisbeth's heart fluttered with excitement at seeing such an iconic building.

Equally magnificent was the Skyarrow Bridge that came into the city from the west. It's giant arching back drew her eyes as much as the city did. She could only imagine entering the city from that bridge.

Lisbeth ran off to pack her bag that was in the cabin she never used. Tepig trotted behind her.

Walking to her room, a noise from inside a cabin made Lisbeth pause as she walked down the hallway. It was Felix's cabin.

Lisbeth moved a few steps closer to his cabin and listened for another sound. It never came, but she knew he was inside.

"Felix?" Lisbeth said quietly.

A shuffle and a small thump.

"Hey, uh, I'm sorry about . . . you know. I'm sorry. And you know, you'll make a great trainer someday, okay?" She said to the door.

Silence.

Lisbeth waited for moment. Then she moved on.


	16. Chapter 16

**7/29/13 For those of you who have read this far in my story, I want to thank you so much for sticking with it. You guys are the best. And for those of you who have been waiting so long for a new chapter, I want to apologize. I'm just not feeling it with the story right now. I know I promised that summer would equal more writing, but it just hasn't worked out that way. Sorry. So for now, writing is on hold and I honesty have no idea when it will pick up again, if all all. I'm sorry if you are disappointed. You guys are awesome. Keep on PKMN FanFic-ing!**

"I'm going to miss you, girly!" Lindy said, pulling Lisbeth into a tight embrace.

"Don't worry, Lindy. I'll see you again," Lisbeth said.

They had docked in Castelia and Lisbeth was saying her goodbyes to the crew of the Stargazer.

"I'm holding you to your word," Lindy said.

Lem approached her and shook her hand. "Good luck with your journey, Lisbeth."

"Thanks, Lem," Lisbeth said with a smile.

Finally, Ezra approached her. She would miss him the most. He made her smile with his playfulness and his jokes that made her laugh.

Lisbeth threw her arms around him and squeezed him tightly. She could feel a laugh rumble in his chest. Then she pulled back to look at him. Sadness filled her stomach. She was really saying goodbye. It made her wish she didn't have to leave him and the rest of the crew. Ezra, she realized, had been the closest thing she'd had to a father since her own father died.

"Next time I see you, I'll be sure to make you the most delicious meal you've ever tasted," He laughed.

"I hope so, Ezra. Your food is to die for," Lisbeth said, "I'm going to miss you."

"Go on, then. Get out of here and go beat that Champion, the both of you," Ezra said playfully to Lisbeth and Tepig.

Lisbeth waved goodbye.

"Tepig!" Tepig called in goodbye.

"I'll see you soon!" Lisbeth called. A promise that wouldn't come soon enough.

Then she set off down the pier to take on Castelia City.

...

Lisbeth and Tepig were lost immediately. Castelia was like a maze, they discovered. Or at least it seemed to them, who had never been in the city before. The residents of Castelia, on the other hand, navigated the city like old pros.

But Lisbeth was determined not to stick out like the obvious tourist she was and ask for directions to the gym.

What a mistake that was. Hours later, the sun was beginning to set and Lisbeth found herself sitting on the edge of a fountain in a park called Central Plaza. She laid back on the warm stone and closed her eyes. Tepig nuzzled up against her, as worn out as she was feeling.

"I do believe that there is a rule against the homeless sleeping in Central Plaza."

Lisbeth's eyes snapped open and she quickly sat up. Standing in front of her was a man in about his late twenties, early thirties. He was wearing a long, white lab coat with black slacks and a black dress shirt underneath. His hair was a pale yellow, slicked back from his forehead, and wrapped around his heat he had a strange blue, ribbon-like headdress that started at the top right of his forehead and wrapped around to his left eye. But the strangest thing about him was his unnerving light yellow eyes that examined Lisbeth with a cold, calculating gaze.

"I don't know what you're talking about, buddy, but I'm not homeless," Lisbeth huffed.

"Oh, do pardon my rudeness, of course you are not. You just had a certain disheveled look about you. I'm sorry, but I just couldn't help but noticing your pokemon. I've never seen one like it before," He said.

Lisbeth glared at the man for a moment, trying to decided if he was sincere or not. He certainly seemed like it, but his yellow eyes never lost the coldness they seemed to have.

"Sorry, but I don't talk to strangers," Lisbeth said.

"My apologies! I never did introduce myself, did I? I am a scientist and my name is Colress. I seek to bring out the true power of pokemon," He said with a strange smile.

"So you experiment on pokemon?" Lisbeth demanded.

Colress held up his hands. "In the most humane way possible of course, but yes, I do."

Tepig grumbled beside her.

Colress' attention zeroed in on Tepig. "I'm sorry, but what did you say this pokemon was called?"

"I didn't. I'm sorry, but I think we should be going. It was . . . nice to meet you," Lisbeth said with a stony smile.

Lisbeth slung her bag over her shoulder and she and Tepig hurried off away from Colress. He seemed to be sincere, but Lisbeth just couldn't shake this strange vibe she was getting from him. And she didn't like how intent he was toward Tepig.

She hurried out of Central Plaza and down the nearest street. It seemed like Central Plaza was the center of Castelia and all the streets extended out from the park.

She and Tepig were wandering down the street when she saw the name of the street she was on Gym Street. Excitement surged through her. After hours of walking she was finally headed in the right direction, even if it was by chance.

They picked up their pace, pushing their way through the surge of people until she could finally see it. The pokemon gym symbol glowing in bright green neon just down the street from her. She scooped Tepig into her arms so he wouldn't get lost in the crowd and ran down the street until the Castelia City gym was right in front of her.

Lisbeth wrapped her hand around the door and pulled. And pulled. And pulled. The door was locked. She swore loudly, drawing the gazes of several passerby.

_This _cannot _be happening, _Lisbeth thought.

She knocked on the door and peered into the empty entrance hall. It was dimly lit and nobody was sitting at the desk. She knocked on the door again. Again, nobody came. She pounded on the door. This time an oldish man with stark white hair came from somewhere Lisbeth couldn't see and strode across the entrance hall to the front doors. He pushed open the door and poked his head out.

"The gym's closed," He said.

"But why? I came all this way and now I can't challenge the gym? I demand to see the gym leader!" Lisbeth demanded.

"I'm sorry, little girl, but Burgh isn't here. He left claiming he had artist's block. It could take several days for him to return. In the meantime how 'bout you enjoy yourself, huh?" He said, then shut the door in Lisbeth's face.

Lisbeth turned away from the gym doors and slid down to the ground in defeat.

"Now what, Tepig?" She rhetorically asked her pokemon.

"Tepig," He was about as stumped as she was.

He put his head in her lap and looked up at her with his round black eyes.

A sudden idea popped into her head. She could go to the Unova HQ building and visit her father's pokemon. After Branton had died her mother didn't want to keep his pokemon because they were reminders of her late husband, so the people from the Unova HQ that dealt with the pokemon gyms happily took in his pokemon to care for them.

Lisbeth scooped up Tepig.

"Come on, Tepig. I want you to meet some old friends," She told her pokemon.


End file.
